Anthony Ramos (actor)

Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he began performing in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton'', for which he won a Grammy Award. He received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the 2020 stage recording of the play.

Ramos played a supporting role in ''A Star Is Born'' (2018), and starred in the musical film ''In the Heights'' (2021), earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the action film '' Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'' (2023), and the disaster film '' Twisters'' (2024).

Early life and education

Ramos was born Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez on November 1, 1991. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His family is Puerto Rican, of African, indigenous, and European descent. On a 2024 episode of ''Finding Your Roots'', he discovered that a portion of his heritage traces back to the Canary Islands and his 16th great-grandfather was Pelinor (d. 1505), an indigenous Guanche king of the island of Tenerife, the largest island in the Canaries.

Ramos lived in Hope Gardens Apartments, an affordable housing complex in Bushwick, Brooklyn with his mother, older brother, and younger sister. Anthony's father struggled with substance abuse and was only present in his life occasionally.

Anthony Ramos attended Halsey Junior High School in Queens, New York, where he sang Motown songs at school assemblies in a student group called the Halsey Trio. He is a 2009 graduate of New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. His ambitions at the time centered around baseball, including plans to play NCAA Division III college baseball, followed by a baseball coaching career. After high school, he attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York a conservatory for the performing arts, on a full scholarship from the Seinfeld Scholarship, run by Jerry Seinfeld. He graduated from the musical theater program in 2011.

Acting career

Beginning in 2011, Ramos earned roles in a variety of regional and touring musical productions, including Usnavi de la Vega in a 2012 production of ''In the Heights''. In 2014, he performed in ''Heart and Lights'' at Radio City Music Hall, a dance show with the Rockettes which was canceled during previews. During rehearsals for ''Heart and Lights'', Ramos auditioned for the off-Broadway production of ''Hamilton'' at The Public Theater. After being cast in ''Hamilton'', Ramos played Justin Laboy in Lin-Manuel Miranda's short musical ''21 Chump Street'', a 14-minute, one-time performance on June 7, 2014, which was recorded for ''This American Life''.

''Hamilton'' opened off-Broadway in early 2015, with Ramos originating the dual role of John Laurens and P hilip Hamilton, the oldest son of Alexander Hamilton. The musical moved to Broadway on July 13, 2015, in previews, and opened on August 6, 2015. Ramos left the production on November 20, 2016, being replaced by Jordan Fisher.

In September 2016, it was announced that Ramos had been cast in director Spike Lee's Netflix comedy-drama series ''She's Gotta Have It'', in the role of Mars Blackmon. Ramos played the role of Ramon in the 2018 remake of '' A Star Is Born'', starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and directed by Cooper. In 2018, ''Variety'' reported that Ramos had been cast as Usnavi de la Vega in the film adaptation of ''In the Heights.'' The movie was released in 2021 to significant acclaim, but was a box-office bomb. In April 2021, Ramos was cast in the lead role in the next installment of the ''Transformers'' film franchise, '' Transformers: Rise of the Beasts''. The film was released on June 9, 2023.

In February 2022, Ramos was cast as Parker Robbins / The Hood in the upcoming superhero streaming series '' Ironheart'', set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In January 2024, Ramos was cast as the lead voice role in a ''Bob the Builder'' animated film. In July 2024, Ramos appeared in '' Twisters'', the sequel to the 1996 film ''Twister''.

Recording career

Ramos appeared on the original Broadway cast recording of ''Hamilton'' in 2015, in the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton.
He reunited with Lin-Manuel Miranda in October 2017 as one of the vocalists on Miranda's song "Almost Like Praying," a release to benefit Hurricane Maria victims.

On November 8, 2017, two tracks, "Freedom" and "Common Ground", from solo EP, titled ''The Freedom EP'', were released. The release was produced by Will Wells, who had previously worked with Logic and Pentatonix. ''The Freedom EP'' was released on January 20, 2018. In addition to the previously released singles, the EP included two new songs, "When The Bell Tolls" and "PRayer" .

On June 13, 2019, it was announced that Ramos had signed to Republic Records. The signing was documented on his YouTube series, ''It Takes A Village'', where he revealed that new music would be released that summer. His debut album, ''The Good & The Bad'', was released in the autumn on October 25, 2019. Although it did not chart on the US ''Billboard'' Top 200 album chart, it did debut at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers Albums chart.

On June 25, 2021, Republic released his second album, ''Love and Lies''. The album debuted and peaked for one week at number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 album chart.

Personal life

In 2014, Ramos met actress Jasmine Cephas Jones during rehearsals for the off-Broadway production of ''Hamilton''. He confirmed their relationship in February 2015, and on Christmas Eve 2018, he proposed to Jones in front of her favorite castle in Arundel, England. In November 2021, they ended their engagement before officially splitting.

In February 2024, Ramos' family was featured on episode 104 ("Mean Streets") of the PBS television show ''Finding Your Roots,'' a program about genealogy.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Soundtrack and cast albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramos, Anthony
1991 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male singers
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American Musical and Dramatic Academy alumni
American musicians of Puerto Rican descent
Grammy Award winners
Male actors from Brooklyn
New Utrecht High School alumni
People from Bushwick, Brooklyn
Puerto Rican male stage actors
Singers from New York City
American actors of Puerto Rican descent
American people of Canarian descent